After seeing off Ohba-san and Nagatani-san, I felt drained of my energy for a while. But there was little time to rest. A lot of work was waiting for me at the base camp.

An airlanded supply is scheduled one month later. I had to prepare the supply goods and deliver them to Uummannaq. They included food, clothing, spare skis, skisails, and other equipment, about 10 boxes in all.

A pile of supply goods to be delivered at a mid-way point

Now I am all by myself, but the people in Narsarsuaq are very cooperative. Among them are Jacky and Birgitte of the youth hostel, Bertha of Hotel Narsarsuaq and her firefighter partner Hugo, and Hugo's daughters Aima and Uiloq. They have all helped me in many ways.

Jacky, the owner of Narsarsuaq Youth Hostel

Birgitte, Jacky's girl friend

I communicate with the ice cap team (Ohba-san and Nagatani-san) on a regular basis. Except in the case of an emergency, I receive a phone call from them every morning and evening. I update them with the weather forecast and wind direction which I have checked in advance on the Internet. There is a slight delay when conversing via satellite phone, but the voice is clear enough to hear.

Essential items of so-called "mobile" base camp: PC, Iridium, and mobile phone

I spread a large map over the floor and began to mark the traversed path of the ice cap team. When I saw their steady progress, I felt a surge of joy. The longitudinal crossing of Greenland ice cap is just beginning.

I also check the ice cap team's progress on the Internet,
but it is only when I mark it down on the map that I get an actual feel of it

The weather in Narsarsuaq has been bad since the afternoon on the 5th of April. I could see a thick fog covering the ice cap in the direction they were traveling. According to Jacky, when the sun comes out, the snow gets firm and it will become easier for them to slide by skisail. I am praying that the weather will get better soon and a good wind will take them further!

Looking toward the direction of the ice cap members,
but a thick fog covered over the area, and I couldn't see anything.

Noriko Miyashita